Brentwood Academy’s award-winning robotics program will host more than 700 Tennessee students, 1st through 12th grade, for the 2020 Vex Robotics Tennessee State Championship on Saturday, March 7, 2020 beginning at 8:30 AM.
Over 100 teams, consisting of 5-7 students each, will vye for a spot to be one of thirty teams advancing to the World Championship to be held in Louisville, KY in April. At last year’s worlds competition, the Brentwood Academy Iron Eagles won the Middle School Excellence Award, which is the top prize presented and was a great achievement for the state of Tennessee.
“These students represent the future of a STEM-educated and trained workforce. One of the greatest benefits of the robotics program is connecting students with engineering and computer science experts. For each tournament, Vex Robotics partners with current industry professionals, retired engineers, and college students to serve as judges and referees. We’re finding the direct association with these specialists helps provide a direction for our students to discover a potential career path once they graduate from high school.” Chris Allen, Brentwood Academy, Robotics Program Director.
Students have spent nearly a year designing, programming and building robots for head-to-head competition in the VEX challenges. Each team attending the tournament qualified after competing throughout the year at regional competitions.
This year, the Brentwood Academy program includes a total of 42 students, six coaches, and three mentors. Since the inception of the program in 2013, 100 students have competed on an Iron Eagles robotics team, 1/3 of the students being girls. 25 students who completed the the program have been admitted to and currently attend some of the top engineering schools in the country, such as MIT, Purdue, and Vanderbilt.
The tournament is open to the public and free of charge. Opening ceremonies on Saturday will begin with the presentation of colors by the Navy Sea Cadets Program. Representatives from more than a dozen colleges and universities will be on hand to share information about their school’s STEM programs. Competition hours March 7 are 10:00 AM-4:00 PM. Brentwood Academy is located at 219 Granny White Pike in Brentwood.
